Driver pleads no contest in drunken driving crash that killed friend

The driver charged in a drunken driving crash that killed his close friend hours after the victim's mother had been killed by a hit-and-run driver pleaded no contest Tuesday.

Xavier Hughes, 21, entered the plea to a count of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. Three other counts were dismissed.

According to court documents, Hughes was speeding down the 9000 block of W. National Ave. on April 29 when he lost control and crashed. He was taking Thomas Olson to the hospital to see his mother, Mary Jane Moore, after learning she had been struck by another driver in West Allis earlier that night.

Olson died in the crash. His mother, it turned out, was not at the hospital but had been declared dead at the scene where she was run over while lying in the roadway,

Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Mark Williams said in court Tuesday that the state would be recommending two to three years of prison time for Hughes but warned Circuit Judge Ellen Brostrom that the victim's family, who didn't even want Hughes prosecuted, would likely argue for less.

Hughes faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years in prison plus 10 years of extended supervision at his sentencing Oct. 12.

Jesse R. Steinmetz, 32, of West Allis, the driver charged with running over Moore, is set for trial in October on a charge of hit-and-run involving death.

Another driver who was accused of driving drunk and killing two people as they crossed W. Greenfield Ave. last November also was convicted Tuesday.

Martin Rodriguez, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle in the deaths of Frances Pizzaro, 49, and her son Edward Giovanni Lindsey, 20. Pizzaro died at the scene; Lindsey died 10 days later on Nov. 16 from injuries suffered in the crash.

Witnesses saw a green pickup truck that was speeding east in westbound lanes at S. 14th St. strike the victims and keep going. Police, who were already pursuing Rodiguez, found the truck abandoned seven blocks later, and Rodriguez was found nearby in the Milwaukee River. His blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.206, well above the legal limit of 0.08.

Rodriguez, who has three prior drunken driving convictions, will be sentenced Nov. 1.

INTERACTIVE: This interactive provides a detailed look at the current term of the U.S. Supreme Court, including summaries of major cases, profiles of the justices, and legal alignments based on past decisions.